Monaco GP, Gasly off the podium
The Monaco GP changes its result again after three months. The FIA International Court of Appeal has approved the appeal by McLaren and Red Bull, reinstating the two five-second penalties given to Pierre Gasly for speeding in the pit lane. The decision overturns that of the stewards on June 12, who had canceled the penalties after the right of review requested by Alpine. Gasly is therefore again considered to have committed two violations of the 60 km/h limit in the pit lane, loses the podium and drops to seventh place in the GP, with Isack Hadjar regaining third place.
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The case arises from an error found in the official timing system. In Monaco, the FOM had set the distance used to calculate the average speed in the pit lane at 26.92 meters. After the race, however, it concluded that the shortest distance between the first and second line was 26.15 meters, that is 77 cm less. And this new parameter allowed Gasly to be acquitted, after the initial measurements showed 60.4 and 60.5 km/h.
The Court rejected this reasoning mainly for a matter of sporting fairness. The 26.92 meters, although an incorrect parameter, was the official one, used throughout the weekend and for all cars. According to the Court, that reference cannot be replaced afterwards with a different parameter to the advantage of a single driver. Moreover, the analyses after the race did not prove what distance Gasly actually covered in the two contested pit lane passages: to be under 60 km/h he would have had to cover no more than 26.73 and 26.70 meters, but neither FOM nor the team managed to prove this precisely. The team’s measurement was defined by Alpine itself as an estimate, insufficient according to the Court to overturn the data produced by the official system.
The Alpine statement
Alpine commented on the FIA decision as follows.
TEAM STATEMENT pic.twitter.com/R0m4c0V6pO
— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) September 4, 2026
“The team expresses disappointment and frustration at the outcome of the FIA International Court of Appeal on the Monaco GP. Although we disagree with the verdict and believe that Pierre did not exceed the pit lane speed limit at any point during the race, the team respects the judges’ decision. The result is not what we hoped for and we believe we have been unfairly penalized, but the team is firmly focused on improving performance on track in a very close World Championship battle.” Therefore, Alpine should not file any appeal, accepting the FIA decision.
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